Beverly Pepper’s ‘Medea’ in new summer spot
Rising out of the hillside in a dramatic sweep, Beverly Pepper’s Medea (2019-2020) gives a powerful and uplifting tone, now sited on the lower lawn at Roche Court Sculpture Park.
Beverly Pepper
Medea, 2019-2021
Corten Steel
366 x 384 x 190 cm / 12ft x 12ft 7 x 6ft 3 in.
Edition 2 of 4
When we consider the nature of Medea, a sculpture sharing the same name as the figure of Greek mythology, the work points to Medea’s tenacious qualities, and engages both the sky and the ground.
Medea shares the same name as a figure in Greek mythology, a tenacious character that played a large role in the story of Jason and the Golden Fleece. The nature of the sculpture reflects these stories, and engages both the sky and the ground in a vital energy.
Medea exemplifies Pepper’s unique artistic process: over the course of months, often years, spontaneous drawings become rigorously detailed sketches of potential work, followed by precise scale models that ensure fully realised sculptures do not lose the free-flowing energy of their initial designs. Consequently, each sculpture is individually fabricated – not cast – and so the resulting work retains a tangible vitality of workmanship that only enhances the material properties of the steel, with its rich and ever-changing patina
For Pepper, great works of art never stand alone, but are always related to and changed by their environment.